Many college graduates dream of bagging a government job. Here are some statistics. In Uttar Pradesh, five lakh candidates, including several graduates and postgraduates, applied for 3,275 contractual sweeper vacancies. In another part of the country, our company recently conducted an exam for recruitment of an entry-level position for a central government department. There were only 374 vacancies. A recruitment advertisement was released in one State. More than 2.4 lakh people applied and 1.3 lakh were given hall tickets to write the exam!
On the other hand, we were also recruiting for a large private-sector bank. The position was business development executive. While the salary, including commissions, was comparable, the career progression would be faster compared to a government job. Yet, we had to put in an enormous effort to convince graduates to attend the interview.
Further, three out of ten graduates who receive offers from private companies do not take the job despite being unemployed. So the question is — why are graduates desperate for government jobs and totally disinterested in private sector jobs?
Myth 1: Private sector hires and fires
This is partly true. But the employer is not hiring to fire. After all, recruitment and training are expensive activities. Those who are fired are candidates with the wrong attitude — they do not take the job seriously, or, are misfits. Incidentally, government jobs are also demanding, especially in the early stages. One cannot expect to get confirmed unless one has the right attitude.
Myth 2: Private sector pays low
This is also partly true. Government jobs offer the best starting salaries. But after two to three years, government employees realise that increasingly, their counterparts in the private sector are earning more. In fact, across 30 years of professional life, a good employee can earn many times more in the private sector than in a government organisation.
Myth 3: Private jobs require migration, an expensive affair
This, again, is partly true. But one can easily live comfortably within his/her budget, even in cities such as Mumbai. The trick is to adjust one’s lifestyle according to the income.
College curriculum
Government cannot create jobs for everyone. On the other hand, private sector has the ability to create well-paid jobs. Youngsters need to accept this reality and prepare themselves. With myths on private jobs overshadowing the reality, candidates, especially freshers, are not keen on applying for them. Colleges should introduce job counselling for all graduates as part of the syllabus to mitigate this problem.
Job counselling is a learning technique wherein students are motivated to investigate and learn about themselves and the job market. This knowledge helps them understand which job would suit them best. It further equips them with the knowledge and skills they will require while searching for a job.
To provide job counselling, colleges should hire dedicated faculty and train them. Students need to be exposed to market trends, hiring practices, salary packages, cost of living in cities, roles in demand, job retention strategies, self assessment of personality, key skills required, corporate communication techniques, and so on. The idea is to replace the myths with realities and boost students’ confidence so that they can find the right first job.
College managements must make job counselling a key deliverable, in addition to placement and knowledge transfer. Only then will graduates learn to graduate in the real sense of the term. It will also reduce pressure on the college placement officer who would otherwise try to place students in any job to meet the numbers.
The writer is chairman, TMI Group
